2018 ZSABL Western
Division Analysis

Memphis Sound

Starting Staff:

They only have two B-Z’s; last year they had five.
Unbelievably in the entire Western Division, the Sound’s Jacob de Grom and Alex
Cobb are the sole recipients of this coveted Grade/Control with at least 60 IP.
Following these two will be Andrew Cashner B-No-Z, Kenta Maeda C-Z and Sean
Manaea C-No-Z. This looks like it will just be the early season rotation. Jake
Odorizzi C-No-Z will eat up the garbage innings. David Price B-No-Z 75 IP will
be summoned from the minors at some point and Tyler Mahle B-No-Z 20 IP will
probably bide his time in the bushes until the rosters expand. The trio of
D-No-Z’s, Julio Teheran, Matt Harvey and Jack Flaherty will enjoy the view from
the back of the Sound’s minor league bus. The un-carded hopefuls are Mike
Soroka and Mitch Keller.

Division Rank: 2nd

Bullpen:

They had threatened pre-draft to just take relievers since
their first pick was not until the 4th. They did not anticipate the
run on quality “bullpenners” with innings that preceded their first selection.
Luckily they snatched Sam Tuivailala A*-Z 42 IP, his low innings were not what
the doctor ordered for the Sound but he will team up with Alex Claudio B(A*)-Z
83 IP for Memphis’s end game. Three A’s, all without the (Z), Wade Davis, Scott
Alexander and Cory Gearrin and Ryan Buchter B*-No-Z fill out the rest of the
relief corp. In the minors is Ross Stripling D(C*)-Z who will pitch 74 low
leverage innings.

Division Rank: 3rd

Catchers:

Buster Posey C-8 1B-3 .851 OPS will once again be the man
behind the plate; his back up is Jorge Alfaro C-6 .874 OPS 107 at bats.

Infield:

The left side of the infield is ably filled by Nolan Arenado
3B-6 .959 OPS at third base and at shortstop with Carlos Correa SS-8 .941 OPS.
The other side of the infield has Jose Abreu 1B-3 .906 OPS and at the keystone
sack, 36 year old Robinson Cano 2B-8 .791 OPS. Trey Mancini 1B-3 OF-1 .826 OPS
will be the DH. The reserves are Marcus Semien SS-8 and Hernan Perez 2B-7 3B-3
OF-2. On the farm they took a flier on Colin Moran 1B-2, traded to the Pirates
in the Gerrit Cole deal and oft injured Devon Travis 2B-8 who they need to get
healthy as a possible replacement for the aging Cano. Un-carded futures are 3B
Austin Riley who is expected to arrive in the majors next year although a late
season cameo is not out of the question and 2B Keston Hiura, who some scouts
say projects more as an outfielder.

Outfield:

Marcell Ozuna OF-3 had a tremendous year with a .924 OPS,
after him it gets a little thin. Lorenzo Cain OF-3 .803 OPS will start at one
of the outfield posts, the last spot can be filled by former # 1 pick Hunter
Renfroe OF-1 .751 OPS or Starling Marte OF-3 .712. In the minors is another
former # 1 pick in Jorge Soler OF-1 .503 and Nomar Mazara OF-2 .745 OPS.
Un-carded Tyler O’Neil will join them.

Division Lineup Rank: 3rd

Draft Analysis:

They didn’t pick until the fourth round but they had two
selections there and two more in the fifth. Bullpen was on their mind and even
though the “pickins were slim” they added Sam Tuivailala and Scott Alexander in
the 4th and Gearrin in the fifth. They deviated from their primary
mission of adding relief help with their other 5th rounder by taking
1B-3B Colin Moran. That pick is panned by this scribe but that opinion will
have to wait until the next issue of Baseball, Today and Tomorrow comes out to
get the real scoop. Another bullpen piece in Ryan Buchter was added in the 6th.
The next three picks were all young pitchers, Jack Flaherty, Tyler Mahle and
Mike Soroka. The 10th saw them go to Ross Stripling, a 29 year old
D(C*)-Z, obviously an inning eater type selection. The end of the Sound’s draft
is too confusing to put into words but un-carded OF Taylor Trammell was Memphis
property for an ephemeral amount of time, he was later claimed on waivers by
Maine and as a supplemental pick the Sound took 2B-OF Keston Hiura.

Synopsis:

At first glance when you see that
the Sound has won the last three Western Division pennants and them being the
only team in the “holier than thou” with B-Z starters, along with the 3rd
best bullpen and lineup, a playoff spot seems assured. On paper they are a
close 2nd to the probable pre-season favorite Norfolk but they are
vulnerable. No Z’s in the pen for the middle innings will be a detriment. Their
outfield production after Ozuna is abysmal relative to the rest of the league
with the power production of MLB in general. Right now I will call them as the
2nd best in the West but this the first team I looked at and I
reserve judgment until I evaluate the rest of the division with the final call
at the end of this analysis.

Norfolk Neptunes

Starting Staff:

The “Nep’s” rotation avoided the (Z) like the plague. Justin
Verlander 206 IP, Taijuan Walker 157 IP, Mike Clevinger 122 IP and Jacob Faria
87 are all B’s sans the valuable letter “Z”.They will be forced to use Jose Berrios and Blake Snell, both C’s
No-Z’s to fill out the rotation. Pitchers of that ilk were rarely employed by
Neptune teams of the past. In the minors another pair of those C-No-Z’s in
Dylan Bundy and Max Fried along with a C-W Aaron Sanchez offer no solace. Three
D-No-Z’s do give some hope for the future, in rebound candidates Johnny Cueto
and Jameson Taillon while they await for Reynaldo Lopez to manifest his potential.

Division Rank; 4th

Bullpen:

Skipper Groff always said you need two A*-Z’s in the pen to
be competitive. The Neptunes have three, led by Felipe Rivero A&C*-Z with
Dan Otero A*-ZZ and Tommy Kahnle A*-Z. Hunter Strickland A*-No-Z, Roberto Osuna
and Brian Duensing, both B*-Z’s, are extremely important to the “Nep’s” since
the starting staff is devoid of control. Aroldis Chapman B*-No-Z is in the
minors.

Division Rank: 1st

Catchers:

Gary Sanchez C-7 .876 OPS 471 at bats is a “rock” behind the
plate; Travis D’Arnaud C-8 .735 OPS is his back up with Jonathan Lucroy C-8
.716 OPS in the minors as he hopes to return to relevance.

Infield:

After releasing Ryan Zimmerman 1B-3 last year they realized
the “error of their ways” and re-drafted him with his .930 OPS and will install
him as their everyday DH. Mark Reynolds 1B-4 .839 OPS will be the first
baseman, light hitting, compared to the rest of the Neptune lineup, Joe Panik
2B-8 .768 OPS is the second baseman, rising star Francisco Lindor SS-9 .842 OPS
will be his DP partner. Third base poses a problem on the defensive side since
the trade of Manny Machado. Jake Lamb 3B-3 .844 OPS can hit but a fielding
three 3rd sacker is a liability, they hope to shore up the position
in the future with one of the returns they got in the Machado trade, in Rafael
Devers 3B-3 .819 OPS. Ronald Torreyes 3B-4 2B-8 SS-8 will enter games early and
often to keep opponents from exploiting the third base area of the playing
field. Down on the farm are Brandon Crawford SS-9 and Rougned Odor 2B-7, two
candidates for comeback seasons. Joining them are Amed Rosario SS-8 and Dominic
Smith 1B-3, who both struggled in their rookie years. The latter’s future has
become somewhat clouded with the Met’s signing veteran 1B Adrian Gonzalez but maybe
it will push him to a higher level.

Outfield:

Aaron Judge OF-3 1.048 had a monster year with Charles
Blackmon OF-2 1.000 OPS just a tad under whatever constitutes a “monster year”.
The third outfield post, Christian Yelich OF-2 .807 OPS, is no slouch except by
comparison to the other two. The only reserve is Andy Benintendi OF-2 .776 OPS.
On the farm are Ben Gamel OF-2, Manuel Margot OF-3 and Austin Hays OF-1 with
the Neptune franchise expecting improvement from all three.

Division Lineup Rank: 1st

Draft Analysis:

They had no picks in the first but had two in the 2nd
so they tabbed Mike Clevinger, the B starters were quickly being depleted so he
was an obvious choice, and Tommy Kahnle, a A*-Z who looked mighty impressive
last season. In the 3rd they selected another B starter in Jacob
Faria only 87 IP as that genre of APBA cards neared the “finito” line. The 4th
saw them go for OF Austin Hays, a little too early for my liking but the
Orioles want to give him every chance to be regular this year. Surprisingly in
the 5th, 1B Ryan Zimmerman, who received no love from the other
ZSABL managers, was still on the board and Norfolk welcomed him back home.In the 6th a valuable asset, a
left-handed B*-Z, in Brian Duensing, became a Neptune. Ronald Torreyes arrived
in the 7th and his GLOVE will be an important part of Norfolk’s
pennant drive with their defensively challenged third basemen. In the 8th
they reached into the Atlanta Braves pipeline of young pitching talent and took
Max Fried. Their final pick was Ben Gamel. Surprisingly their hand never dipped
into the “cookie jar” the entire draft.

Synopsis:

The top lineup in the league and the best bullpen is only
handicapped by their starting rotation. No team in the West will run away and
hide with the division title. There are weaknesses on every club. All in all;
the Neptunes look like the “best in the West”. The strong pen should compensate
for the dearth of Z’s in the rotation. The lineup will produce runs, like every
other team in the ZSABL, the main strategy for everybody with all the power
guys in the league will be to limit the base runners, make them solo shots as
opposed to 3-run dingers. To avoid any unnecessary trips to Chiques Rock, the
Nep’s skipper will have to go to the pen early if their starters start walking
guys and be confident that their offense will outscore what ever damage their
starters allow. I would also recommend having Ronald Torreyes warmed up and
ready to enter a contest as early as the 5th inning if the score
dictates it with the defensive challenges of the Neptune thirdbasemen.

Seattle Scouts

Starting Staff:

Not a very impressive cast of characters. Gio Gonzalez 201
IP and J.A.Happ 145 IP both (B-No-Z’s) headline the rotation. Following that
duo will be Dan Straily, Jason Vargas and Jhoulys Chacin, all C-No-Z’s. In the
minors the best they have is Wei-Yin Chen, C-Z 33 IP and Jaime Garcia C-No-Z.
Also in the bushes and hoping to get lucky with some resurgence are veterans
Steve Wright D-Z, Martin Perez D-No-Z and Doug Fister D-No-Z.

Division Rank: 6th

Bullpen:

As usual the pen is the Scout’s pride and joy. Steve Cishek
A&C*-No-Z is the highest rated reliever but Tommy Hunter and Brad Hand
(both A*-Z’s) will probably handle the closer duties with their control
letter.There is some added depth in
A*-No-Z’s Mychal Givens and Zach McAllister. In the minors a tandem of B*-Z’s
in Emilio Pagan and Bryan Shaw along with Brad Brach, B*-No-Z will no doubt
make an appearance in Seattle at some point. Additional arms in the bushes are
Blaine Boyer C*-Z and Sam Dyson D*-No-Z.

Division Rank: 2nd

Catchers:

A quartet of backstops fills the Scouts roster. Evan Gattis
C-6 .767 OPS has the best bat. Nick Hundley C-7 will be in reserve. In the
minors are Manny Pina C-7 .751 OPS and Cameron Rupp C-7 .716 OPS.

Infield:

Josh Donaldson 3B-4 .944 OPS will man the hot corner. Yuli
Gurriel 1B-3 .817 OPS will be across the diamond at first base. Asdrubal
Cabrera SS-8 2B-8 3B-4 .785 OPS will be the shortstop. They have a host of
second basemen to choose from for his DP partner, the favorites being Josh
Harrison 2B-9 3B-4 .771 OPS, Dee Gordon 2B-8 .716 OPS and Whit Merrifield 2B-8
OF-1, although he is projected to see playing time in the outfield and at DH.
Outfielder Chris Taylor OF-2 2B-6 SS-7 could also see some emergency duty at
the keystone sack but he will primarily be in the pastures. The back up at
first base will be Mitch Moreland 1B-5. The minors have only Kendry Morales
1B-2 and Alccides Escobar SS-9 as infielders.

Outfield:

Nelson R. Cruz OF-1 .924 OPS will either be in the one of
the corner outfield posts or the DH. Scout favorites Curtis Granderson OF-2
.775 OPS and Adam Duvall OF-3 .782 OPS somehow always work their way into the
starting lineup ahead of more productive players like Steven Souza OF-2 .810
OPS and the aforementioned Chris Taylor OF-2 .850 OPS. Gerardo Parra OF-3 .793
OPS is the reserve. In the minors is Mikie Mahtook OF-2 .787 OPS. The plethora
of relievers the Scouts always draft limit the number of positional players they
have in the farm system.

Division Lineup Rank: 5th

Draft Analysis:

With their # 1 pick they chose Gio Gonzalez and he
immediately became the club’s ace. Chris Taylor was a nice grab in the 2nd
with his .850 OPS. Tommy Hunter arrived in the third and you can never have
enough A*-Z’s in the Seattle bullpen. Steven Souza in the fourth continued the
Scouts excellent drafting strategy. A little hiccup in the 5th,when

they opted for C-No-Z Jhoulys Chacin. In the 6th,Yuli Gurriel was a nice addition. In the
7th, a B*-Z in Emilio Pagan, became a Scout. Another C-No-Z was
added in the 8th with Jason Vargas. The 9th gave them their starting
catcher in Evan Gattis. Jaime Garcia in the 10th was worth a risk
that late. Manny Pina in the 11th gives them some more receiving
depth and their final selection was Mikie Mahtook.

Synopsis:

They are still the oldest team in the league with a 31.65
average age slightly above Rochester who is surprisingly 2nd at
30.25. Their bullpen is stellar as usual, 2nd best in the West, but
the rotation is always full of question marks. Their use of C-No-Z starters and
then call to the pen as soon as possible has not delivered the desired results.
Line up wise they are rated the 5th best but ratings don’t apply to
the Scouts as we know them to be the most fortuitous “roller’s” in the ZSABL.
One can never underestimate the power of the PBR can. Their bromance of players
like Granderson and Duvall over Souza and Chris Taylor is puzzling to say the
least. I would throw the proverbial blanket over the Scouts, Hartford and
Billings for the 4th spot in the West.

Billings Mustang

Starting Staff:

The Ace is of course Clayton
Kershaw (A-Z), Zack Godley and Dallas Kuechel, (B-No Z’s) follow him with
C-No-Z’s Kyle Freeland and Jordan Montgomery rounding out the rotation.Erasmo Ramirez, C-Z 131 IP, is in the
minors, a questionable omission from the big league roster. Four more young
arms will join him in Andrew Moore, Luiz Gohara, Jharel Cotton and Francis
Martes. Anthony Desclafani is un-carded due to an injury.

Division Rank: 3rd

Bullpen:

There is no real shut down closer in the Mustang relief
corp. The best option is A*-No-Z Sam Freeman. There are a pair of B*-Z’s in
Brandon Workman and Alex Colome.

Joakim Soria B*-No-Z and Seung-Hwan Oh, C-ZZ, who has been
called on frequently here in the early going, fill out the pen. In the minors
is Jared Hughes, a B*-No-Z. There is not much depth here.

Division Rank: 7th

Catchers:

Matt Wieters C-8 .632 OPS has been getting most of the
starts but Kurt Suzuki .887 276 at bats should see an up tick in playing time
as the season progresses. In the minors are Tom J.Murphy C-6 trying to shed his
AAAA tag (a player who excels at AAA but not the majors) and Francisco Mejia
C-6 with the latter being given opportunities in spring training to expand his
versatility by working out at 1B and 3B.

Infield:

Marwin Gonzalez SS-8 OF-2 1B-3 2B-7 3B-3 .907 OPS had a
banner year and qualified at every position but behind the plate will be the
starting shortstop but at this early juncture of the season he leads the league
in errors. Josh Bell 1B-4 .800 OPS will be at first base. Jedd Gyorko 3B-5 .813
OPS will be at the hot corner with Pat Valaika 3B-3 SS-7 .817 OPS in reserve.
Brandon Drury 2B-8 .764 OPS will see most of the action at second base but
Tommy La Stella 2B-7 3B-4 .861 OPS provides some insurance. On the bench is
Ryon Healy 3B-3 1B-3 .754 OPS and Yangervis Solarte 2B-8 SS-7 3B-3 .731 OPS.
Edwin Encarnacion 1B-3 will be the DH with his .881 OPS. The farm system has
Jonathan Villar 2B-7 and two un-carded studs in Fernando Tatis Jr. and Scott
Kingery waiting their chance.

Outfield:

Khris Davis OF-2 .864 OPS fresh
off his MVP season of last year as well as his league leading 44 round trippers
is entrenched at one of the outfield posts. Michael A.Taylor OF-3 .806 OPS who
rode the bench much of the early going this season has seen his name inserted
into the lineup more each series, Odubel Herrera OF-3 .778 OPS and Ender
Inciarte OF-3 .759 OPS will also compete with Taylor for the other two spots.
Randall Grichuk OF-2 and Dustin Fowler OF-2, who was injured in his only
appearance of the year and never got up to bat, are in the bushes along with
un-carded Eloy Jimenez.

Division Lineup Rank: 6th

Draft Analysis:

They went for pitching in the first and came away with Zack
Godley, who was highly regarded by Billing’s fellow APBA players.In the 2nd they got prized
un-carded shortstop Fernando Tatis Jr. The 3rd saw them grab another
highly touted pitching prospect in Jordan Montgomery, who should crack the NY
Yankee rotation this year. In the 4th they went back to the un-cards
and selected Phillie second baseman Scott Kingery, who has been worked out all
over the infield in spring training, to increase his chances of making the big
league club. In the 5th they took Luiz Gohara, who is penciled in
for a slot in the Braves rotation although he has been slowed by a groin
injury. IMHO it was a little early to take him but maybe that opinion is
because Hartford had hoped to get him later in the draft. Sam Freeman became
the default closer for the Mustang with his selection in the 6th.
Brandon Workman arrived in the 7th, and he will be a valuable
bullpen piece. In the 8th they re-drafted Kyle Freeland who they cut
last year, a theme we have seen repeated on numerous occasions in this year’s
draft. In the 9th they took a flier on OF Dustin Fowler. The 10th
saw them add some pop to their bench with 44-0 Pat Valaika. In the 11th
they went for Andrew Moore. They passed in the 12th and got back in
the draft in the 13th with the selection of Tommy La Stella another
nice bench addition.

Synopsis:

As stated earlier every team in the West has
vulnerabilities. Billings does not have a bona fide closer, an A*-No-Z in Sam
Freeman is the best they got. Their rotation is good enough but without a
relief corp, so instrumental in today’s game, success will be hard to come by.
Their lineup has some holes, most notably at second base and one of the
outfield spots. The bench may provide some spark to squeak out a couple more
wins but the bullpen will be their downfall. They have some exciting upcoming
young talent in Tatis,Jr, Eloy Jimenez and Scott Kingery but they are at least
a year away. Last year I called them a “sleeper” candidate and they exceeded my
expectations by making the post season, albeit a sub .500 record. Having lumped
them in with Seattle and Hartford for a 4th place spot in the West
earlier, thereby missing the playoffs, upon further review I will risk being
wrong again by putting them in 6th place.

Union
Station Mystic Cowboys

Starting Staff:

An A-Z and a B-Z at he top of rotation sounds good in theory
but Garrett Richards A-Z 28 IP and Daniel Mengden B-Z 43 IP coupled with USMC’s
penchant for playing early and often has already exhausted those pitching
limits. Richards went 3-3 somehow with a 7.39 ERA and Mengden was 2-5 with a
5.18 ERA, although he still has 3 innings left for a start later in the year.
Luis M. Castillo was summoned to be the ace of the Cowboys staff with his
B-No-Z rating replacing Richards but he only has 89 IP. That leaves Gerrit Cole
C-Z 203 IP as the mainstay of the staff. German Marquez C-No-Z and Trevor
Williams C-No-Z who was recalled to replace Mengden fill out the rotation.
Kendall Graveman, another C-No-Z, has been utilized strictly in a relief role
thus far this year. In the minors is promising Luke Weaver C-Z 60 IP. Joe
Musgrove D-Z 109 IP, re-acquired after being released during all the roster
SNAFU’s at this years draft will begin the year in the minors but his 100+
innings will be desperately needed before the completion of the season. Alex
Reyes, who is un-carded due to injury and Shohei Ohtani, the un-carded import
from Japan complete the roster.

Division Rank: 7th

Bullpen:

Richard Bleier A&C*-Z is the closer, Josh Hader
A&C*-No-Z will be the set up man. Andrew Steckenrider A*-No-Z will also be
used in high leverage innings. Cody Allen B*-No-Z and Miguel Castro C(B*)-No-Z
will be the first one’s in if the starter gets chased. On the farm is Carl
Edwards,Jr. B*-W and the aforementioned Musgrove, both of whom will be
activated when the pitchers on the current roster use up their inning
allotment.

Division Rank: 6th

Catchers:

Salvador Perez C-9 .792 OPS will do the bulk of the catching
only because his back up, Chris Iannetta C-8 .865 OPS only has 272 at bats.
Un-carded Keibert Ruiz is in the minors

Infield:

Carlos Santana 1B-4 .818 OPS will be the leadoff man and
hold down first base. In the early going he leads the ZSABL in walks. Jonathan
Schoop 2B-8 .841 OPS had a breakout season and will start at the keystone
position. Alex Bregman 3B-4 .827 OPS will be the third baseman. Shortstop could
be a revolving door with Javier Baez SS-9 2B-8 .796 OPS, Andreton Simmons SS-9
.752 OPS and Orlando Arcia SS-9, .731 OPS, acquired on the eve of the draft
from Hartford. On the bench in a reserve role is Todd Frazier 3B-4 .772 OPS.
Rhys Hoskins, their # 1 pick, 1B-3 OF-1, 1.013 OPS will DH with his 170 at
bats, probably sharing the spot with Kyle Schwarber OF-1,782 OPS. Down on the farm is Tim Beckham
SS-8 2B-7 .782 OPS and un-carded shortstop prospect Bo Bichette.

Outfield:

Lawrence McCutchen OF-2 .849 OPS is one starter for sure.
The Cowboys love Byron Buxton OF-3 .728 OPS so he will also get a starting nod.
Kole Calhoun OF-3, .725 OPS, will man for the most part the third outfield
post. Alternate alignments could see Max Kepler OF-3 .737 OPS or Hoskins DH
partner, Kyle Schwarber or even Hoskins himself taking up a fielding position
in the pastures. The farm system boasts Victor Robles OF-2 .766 OPS, Jackie
Bradley,Jr. OF-3 .726 OPS, Gregory Polanco OF-2 .695 OPS who had a down year
and a pair of un-carded hopefuls in Luis Robert and Jo Adell.

Division Lineup Rank: 7th

Draft Analysis:

The excitement of the draft usually proves too much for
Manager Smith and this year was no exception, as he exited the draft without
enough pitching innings to get through the season. It was remedied by
permitting him to reclaim his last cut Joe Musgrove (D-Z) whose 100 IP are
enough to keep the “Boy’s” flush throughout year. He had to release somebody
and he chose to cut Tim Anderson, that set off a maelstrom of waiver activity
with more releases and claims too much to report here unless you enjoy reading
a volume such as Tolstoy’s War and Peace which has 1,225 pages. Enough of the
post draft drama lets look at USMC’s selections. With their Lottery pick they
chose Rhys Hoskins, no arguments here with his triple ones and six walks, the
only down fall is that he will be lumbering in the outfield for the Phillies
next year since they acquired Carlos Santana to play first base. In the 2nd
they went un-carded and grabbed SS Bo Bichette, a highly touted prospect. Luis
M. Castillo a B-No-Z 89 IP was taken in the 3rd. Mengden B-Z 43 IP
arrived in the 4th. Chris Iannetta, limited at bats but a “studly”
hitting card was a nice pick in the 5th. Another good pick followed
him in the 6th with Luke Weaver a C-Z 60 IP. Some bullpen help came
in the 7th with Andrew Steckenrider. German Marquez who slides right
into their rotation was taken in the 8th. Un-carded Luis Robert was
their 9th round pick and more relief help with Miguel Castro and
Carl Edwards,Jr. were chosen in the 10th and 11th. Trevor
Williams C-No-Z came in the 12th before they went un-carded in the
13th and 14th with Keibert Ruiz and Jo Adell. Joe
Musgrove arrived courtesy of a supplemental pick during the roster debacle
described above.

Synopsis:

It should be a long year in Union Station. Innings problems
will plague them all season. Their focus on un-carded players, which they
supposedly swore off of several years ago because they were worried about the
league surviving considering the “advanced” age of the Western Division
members, apparently clouds their draft strategy. Most of these UC’s they
select, excluding Shohei Ohtani their 5th un-carded player who was
acquired via the trade route, are several years away. If somehow they survive
the “axe” the next few seasons and their expected talent comes to fruition and
they become relevant to the ZSABL there will be no shortage of suitors lining
up at USMC’s door to deal for them. And away they will go.

Hartford Hurricanes

Starting Staff:

They had to rebuild almost an entire starting pitching
rotation, which was the same predicament they had last year. The holdovers are
Robby Ray B-No-Z and Zach Davies C-Z

R.A.Dickey C-No-Z, 190 IP had to be kept as insurance until
they could secure another C-No-Z pitcher in the draft. They were able to land
Jacob Junis C-Z 98 IP and Alex Meyer B-W 67 IP, who will miss all of the 2018
season with arm surgery but his 67 innings were desperately needed. Jose Urena
C-No-Z 170 IP was drafted so they could jettison Dickey, who retired. So
B-No-Z, C-Z, B-W (67 IP), C-No-Z and a C-Z (98 IP) make up their opening day
rotation. In the minors is Felix Hernandez C-No-Z, formerly known as King Felix
but he no longer carries that regal sobriquet, as he has been a C-No-Z the last
two years. He will replace Meyer when his 67 IP are up. Also down on the farm
is Sean Newcomb C-W who will replace Junis when his 98 IP are used, as the
rotation goes from bad to worse. There is no other help on the way as the farm
only has Jeff Samardzija D-Z, who may get some garbage time when rosters
expand, Miguel Gonzalez D-No-Z and Tyler Glasnow, D-W, who the Hurricanes will
give one more year to see if he can produce. Un-carded Kolby Allard, one of the
Braves pipeline of supposedly young pitching studs, hopes to get late year
audition in the Show.

Division Rank: 5th

Bullpen:

They needed an A*-Z and with them going fast they had to
settle for Brandon Morrow 44 IP. I know Norfolk says you need two A*-Z’s to
compete but the best the “Canes” have is Dellin Betances and A* but saddled
with the dreaded “W”.A pair of B*-Z’s
in George Kontos and Josh D. Fields, although neither one is a lefty, another
Hartford blunder, will see plenty of action. Jose A.Ramirez B*-No-Z fills out
the relief corp. In the minors are A.J.Schugel A*-No-Z and two B*-No-Z’s in
Sergio Romo and Matt Bush.

Division Rank: 5th

Catchers:

They are pretty well set behind the plate Robinson Chirinos
C-8 .866 but he only has 263 at bats will alternate with Tyler Flowers C-8 .823
OPS, who lost his slow speed rating. Long time Hurricane Brian McCann was dealt
to Rochester for some draft picks and the “Cane’s” like to carry three catchers
so when USMC released Austin Hedges C-9 they quickly scooped him up. For what
its worth he is on a HR hitting tear this spring.

Infield:

Daniel Murphy 2B-7 .928 OPS will be the DH. Brian Dozier
2B-9 .853 and Ozzie Albies 2B-8 .810 give them depth at second but the latter
will just do some pinch-hitting and pinch-running duties. Justin Turner 3B-4
.945 will be at the hot corner and across the diamond at first base is Justin
Bour 1B-4 .902 OPS. Trea Turner SS-8 .789 OPS will be at shortstop. Perhaps the
most important player on Hartford’s roster is Eduardo Nunez SS-7 3B-3 2B-7 OF-1
with his versatility. Both the Turner’s on the left side of the infield have
light at bats so he will be needed there and since they only are carrying four
regular outfielders, two with limited at bats, he will need to be employed
there also. His .801 OPS makes it easier to insert him in the lineup. On the
bench is Lucas Duda 1B-3 .818 OPS, who has to caddy for Bour with his 377 at
bats and Matt Olson 1B-2 OF-1, 1.003 OPS with his three ones and a “5”, 189 at
bats. The Hurricanes can assemble a lineup with five consecutive players with
double ones and will do so against Grade A pitching. In the minors are Dansby
Swanson SS-7 who endured the Sophomore Jinx and Jose Peraza 2B-8 SS-8 who will
have to show management that he is more than a utility player to stick around
next year

Outfield:

Aaron Altherr OF-2 .856 OPS, a former “Cane”, was drafted
again but he only has 372 at bats. He will be one starter. Eddie Rosario OF-3
.836 OPS is another and here in the early going he is tied atop the ZSABL
leader board in HR’s with last year home run champ, Khris Davis, they each have
10. Jay Bruce OF-2 .832 completes the outfield alignment. Jake Marisnick OF-3
.815 OPS is the reserve. In the minors is Lewis Brinson OF-2 hopefully the
starting centerfielder for the Florida Marlins and Jose A.Bautista who they
kept thinking he would sign with a team before our draft but that was not the
case. He does have a 3B rating so he may earn his keep if there is an injury.
And of course the Hurricane’s Pride and Joy un-carded Ronald Acuna, their # 1
draft pick.

Division Rank: 2nd

Draft Analysis:

They had a 1st rounder, the 2nd
overall pick, for the first time since 2002 when they took P Brian Lawrence in
the Lottery. Their heart was set on Atlanta Brave’s un-carded OF Ronald Acuna,
but they were leery of Amsterdam who had the # 1 overall. Their back up plan if
the Bulldogs selected Acuna was P Archie Bradley, when they announced Parker
Bridwell with their choice, the Ronald Acuna era in Hartford began. In the 2nd
round, the Hurricanes needed outfield help and decided to forego pitching and
go after offense so they re-drafted Aaron Altherr who was their # 5 pick in
2016, then he was traded to USMC in 2017 and eventually released. In the third
round they were shocked to find Matt Olson still on the board. The 4th
saw them realize in order to win a few games you need a bona-fide closer so they
grabbed Brandon Morrow, another former Hurricane, who only has 44 IP but he is
an A*-Z. The 5th and 6th rounds saw them address their
rotation with Jake Junis and Alex Meyer, the latter being a desperation pick
because he will not pitch in 2018 due to arm woes. In the 7th with
two picks they got a B*-Z in Josh D.Fields and Jake Marisnick OF-3 with double
ones and an “11” with 230 at bats. Jose A. Ramirez B*-No-Z and Jose Urena, who
they are really high on, were selected with their pair of 8th
rounders.A.J.Schugel A*-No-Z 32 IP was
still available in the 9th, one of the last A* relievers left. Sean
Newcomb C-W, who they liked, was taken in the 10th but they did not
expect to have to insert him in their rotation later in the year since they
acquired no other SP’s. In the 11th they took Eduardo Escobar solely
because he had a C-5 rating and the Canes wanted a 3rd catcher. In
the 12th they went un-carded in Kolby Allard and then when USMC
released Austin Hedges, Hartford pounced on him and released Escobar since they
now had a real 3rd catcher.

Synopsis:

Their good start non-withstanding, at least on paper;
metrics shows Hartford as possibly the 4th best in the West. They
can score runs but the rotation will only get worse as the season progresses.
Seattle with their bullpen is on a par with them. The three teams they are
trying to chase down, Norfolk, Memphis and San Diego all have their own
weaknesses. Maybe one will falter. Hartford only has one player on their active
roster with an OPS of <.800 and that is Trea Turner but he has 4 zero’s,
11,10 and 2 walks so he is no slouch. They also can place five batters with
double ones, (including Olson who has triple ones), in the lineup at the same
time. They are a little deeper in the pen than last year, granted they are only
B*-No-Z’s, but wouldn’t most ZSABL managers want to start a B-No-Z over a
C-No-Z. So the plan is to go with the C’s until the 6th inning,
earlier if they are reduced, replace them with a B*-No-Z and with the regular
Hurricane lineup deployed that would leave three guys on the bench with double
ones to strike comeback thunder in the late innings. Sounds like a plan.

San Diego 76er’s

Starting Staff:

At the top of the rotation is A-Z 201 IP Max Scherzer. He
pitches every 4th day in a staggered rotation employed by the San
Diego skipper. Three B-No-Z’s in Ervin Santana, Aaron Nola and Drew Pomeranz
gives the 76er’s the only club in the West to have four B or better starters.
Nate Karns C-Z 45 IP has been spot starting early on to save some innings for
the “core four”. In the minors are Paul Blackburn B-Z 59 IP and the trio of
Cole Hamels, Tyler Skaggs and Andrew Triggs who are all C-No-Z’s. Joining them
is Vincent Velasquez D-No-Z.

Division Rank: 1st

Bullpen:

Anthony Swarzak and Adam Warren are both A*-Z’s. Nick Goody
A*-No-Z is in support. Trevor Hildenberger B*-ZZ, Nick Vincent and Joe Smith,
both B*-Z’s, are additional depth so other than Nick Goody control is not an
issue like it is for other teams in the league. They are keeping a 12th
pitcher on the roster in Dave Phelps, a B*, and like Goody he lacks the
“Z”.On the farm they have Brad
Boxberger B*-Z and Pedro Strop B*-No-Z.

Division Rank: 4th

Catchers:

C-8 .813 Welington Castillo is the starter. Yan Gomes C-8
.708, taken off the scrap heap on draft day is the back up. Andrew Knapp C-6
.736 OPS and Stephen Vogt C-7 will toil in the minors.

Infield:

The right side of the infield is covered by 2B-8 .957 OPS
Jose Altuve and Eric Hosmer 1B-5 .882 OPS. Part of the Greek connection at
third base is Mike Moustakas 3B-4 .835 OPS. Didi Gregorius SS-8 .796 will be at
shortstop. Nick Castellanos 3B-3 .811 OPS, another player with Greek heritage,
will be the DH. Wilmer Difo SS-9 2B-7 3B-4 will be the only reserve on the
bench since he covers all the back up needs. In the minor league system they
have Chris Davis 1B-4 .732 OPS, rookie 2B-7 Carlos Asuaje and 3B-3 Miguel
Andujar who is having a great spring training for the NY Yankees.

Outfield:

Their # 1 pick OF-3 .931 Tommy Pham will be one starter he
will be flanked by Josh Riddick OF-3 .847 and Carlos Gomez OF-3 .802 OPS. David
Peralta OF-2 .796 OPS and Carlos Gonzalez OF-2 .762, drafted after he was cut
loose by Norfolk will be on the bench. Nick Markakis OF-2 .738 OPS, yes another
Greek, who as appeared in at least 100 games for San Diego every year since
2007 except 2014 will be in the minors along with Sean Rodriguez OF-2 2B-7.
Un-carded Mickey Moniak will wait for the call although he has been taken off
the top 100-prospect list.

Draft Analysis:

With their Lottery pick they took the much sought after OF
Tommy Pham. They bolstered their bullpen in the 2nd and 3rd
with Anthony Swarzak and Adam Warren. The 4th round saw them add B-Z
59 IP Paul Blackburn. Trevor Hildenberger B-ZZ arrived in the 5th
before they went back to add more bullpen depth in the 6th and 7th
with Nick Goody and Joe Smith. Wilmer Difo was selected in the 8th
and he satisfies all the back up requirements. In the 9th they
grabbed Miguel Andujar and if spring training is any indication of his talent,
he was a steal this late. Norfolk, who has a recent history of releasing
players too early, severed ties with long time Neptune OF Carlos Gonzalez,
which the 76er’s quickly gobbled up in the 10th round. In the 11th
they added Brad Boxberger and in the 12th they took a chance on
Tyler Skaggs. The 13th got them 2B Carlos Asuaje, they went back to
the scrap heat in the 14th and took C Yan Gomes, cut loose last year
by Amsterdam. In the 15th they added Nate Karns a C-Z with 45 IP, a
great pick up this late in the draft. On waivers they claimed P Andrew Triggs
during the post draft roster confusion.

Synopsis:

As the only team in the West with four B or better starters
they have to be considered a playoff threat. Their bullpen is solid and most
have the letter (Z). The bench is fairly weak but all the regulars have enough
at bats to cover for that. They are also a little short in the power department
compared to the rest of the division. They are second to only Seattle in the
West in average age with their veteran ball club. They are off to a sluggish
start but there is plenty of season left. There isn’t enough here to garner a
pennant but the play offs are certainly a reachable goal. The middle of the
road teams in the West like Seattle, Hartford and Billings could challenge them
for that last post-season berth.

Division Wrap-Up

The West hasn’t quite reached parity yet but it is getting
close. USMC is probably the only team that can be ruled out for the post
season. No final standings result would surprise me here, except a Mystic
Cowboy post-season appearance. Norfolk’s lack of Z’s in the rotation has to be
troubling. They do have the best lineup in the division plus the # 1 rated
bullpen so that may be enough to overcome the lack of control within the
starting staff. That weakness in itself will prevent them from running away
with the Western flag.

Memphis on paper looks like a good bet for the playoffs. Two
B-Z’s at the top of the rotation dwarfs anything their competitors can counter
with. A (B-No-Z) as a # 3 starter is adequate enough and they can probably
piece together a 4th starter when needed from their minor league
roster. They knew going into the draft they needed relief help but due to the
high demand from the rest of the league they were only able to add one A*-Z to
go with the one they already had. No control from their middle bullpenners will
be a detrimental factor. With the 3rd best lineup I don’t see them
“crashing and burning” but with the perceived weakness in the pen they will be
vulnerable.

San Diego with their four B or better starters and a (Z)
rich bullpen, although they are mostly Grade B’s, except for their two closers
should stay in contention all year. Their lineup will not blow by the
opposition but is good enough being the 4th best in the West. They
should see the “Promised Land” but they will be challenged.

Hartford has the 2nd best lineup and power
galore. No less than five Hurricanes have been blessed with double ones. The
bug-a-boo is the suspect rotation; which will only get worse as the season goes
on and the innings from their better pitchers are used up. The pen although not
strong may be adequate enough if the starters can give them some innings.

They will score some runs but the rotation is problematic.
They did get off to a nice start but it is a long season.

Seattle as usual has a deep bullpen. An informal poll among
the league members voted the Scouts as the best dice roller in the ZSABL. Their
affinity for Grade C pitchers with no Z but lots of innings will hamper their
post-season aspirations. Their lineup construction also bears some scrutiny as
some better carded players sit so that some of the Scouts favorites can see
more playing time. As I said earlier no result would surprise me; and Seattle
with uncanny rolling, Pabst cans and unorthodox lineups could make a splash.

Billings has their work cut out for them with no end of the
game bullpen. In fact their entire corp of relievers are suspect. Last year I
overlooked them as a bona-fide play off participant and even though I see them
as a weaker ball club this year, I won’t dismiss them entirely but it will be
an uphill battle.

Union Station and their roster is in a constant flux with
their trading habits. They are destined for the basement. Rolling for Rhys
Hoskins will be the only thing they will enjoy this season. With all their
pitching depleted by the last section of the schedule they should be “easy
pickins” for their opponents.

E.N. The standings right now in the West look like they are
inverted. Everything will even out eventually.

The final prediction:

1-Norfolk

2-Memphis

3-San Diego

4-Hartford

5-Seattle

6-Billings

7-Union Station

Disclaimer:

This journalistic endeavor is just an opinion. Please, if you disagree with
it, post your own predictions. I do take a lot of time analyzing the rosters
etc. If you must comment, make it to the entire league, sort of like a Letter
to the Editor. In the past I have been wrong and sometimes right on the money
just like the Weathermen.